Cabinet for displaying building tile



June ,'1939.

c, H. BURCHENAL CABINET FOR DISPLAYING BUILDING TILE Filed June 21,19:57

2s 14 I I I j 2 Sheets-Sheet '1 INVENT OR.

BMM

WMATTORNEYQ June 6, 1939." c. H. BURCHENAL 2,161,130

' CABINET FOR DISPLAYING BUILDING-TILE Filed June 21, 1957 2Sheets-Sheet 2 M k )4/104 ATTORNEYS,

Patented June 6, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFHCE Charles H. Burchenal,

Glendale, Ohio, assignor to The Cambridge Tile Manufacturing Company,Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 21, 1937,Serial No. 149,309

1 Claim.

My invention relates to a cabinet for displaying building tile,particularly ornamental colored tile of the type commonly used on thefloors and walls of a bathroom, lavatory, indoor swimming pool, orsimilar place.

For many years White was the conventional color for tile used for any ofthe above purposes. In fact, white tile was used so preponderantly thatit came to be considered as the only acceptable color. Color schemes forbathrooms were practically unknown and it was conventional to use whitetile for base sections and cap sections, as well as .for the main bodysection of the wall and floors.

In recent years color has become an increasingly important factor in thedecoration of a bathroom and resultantly there has been a large andgrowing demand for colored tile. This demand has been met by themanufacturers who 6 now furnish tile in every tint and color imaginable.It is now conventional to use a decorative strip and cap section of acolor which is diiferent from, but harmonious with, the main bodysection and color schemes involving the use of three or four differentshades have become not unusual.

The display of white tile was of course a very simple matter involvingno problem at all. Any interested customer not already entirely familiarwith the standardized type was simply shown a piece of the tile whichwould be used throughout the entire job.

However, the display of colored tile is not so simple both because ofthe wide variety of shades and tints now commonly used and because ofthe inability of the ordinary person to Visualize the appearance of acompleted Wall or fioor section from the examination of one or twosample squares and strips.

The colored tile display cabinet of my invention which I willsubsequently describe in detail, represents a novel and effective meansof bringing home to the prospective customer the exact appearance of a.wall or floor section of any desired color or combination of colors, andat the same time provides a convenient cabinet for the storage of tilesamples.

The primary object of my invention therefore is to provide a cabinet,for the storage and display of colored tile samples, that will enablethe prospective customer to make an intelligent consideration anddecision as to the particular color scheme which he desires.

A second object of my invention is to provide a cabinet of simpleconstruction, having sections for the storage of the tile samples andother sections for their display, the tile samples being removed fromthe storage section when required for use for display purposes andsubsequently replaced in the exact place from which they have beenremoved.

A further object of my invention is to provide a display cabinet forcolored tile in which the tile samples may be arranged in accordancewith a predetermined color chart, which enables the dealer and customerto determine harmonious combinations of color with mathematicalprecision.

Other objects and purposes will become apparent in the further and moredetailed description of my invention.

In the accompanying illustrations a preferred embodiment of the coloredtile cabinet of the present invention is illustrated. In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the tile cabinet showing the displaypanels swung to the sides of the cabinet in the position of nonuse.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the cabinet showing the display panelsin the position of use with a selection of tile in place.

Figure 5 is a sectional View taken on line 5--5, Figure 4.

Referring to these drawings, an open face case or cabinet, divided intoa plurality of sections marked a, b, c, d, e, f, 9, etc., is generallyindicated at It]. A pair of display panels II are mounted respectivelyon either side of the cabinet l0. Normally these panels lie against theside of the cabinet, but they are positioned to swing forwardly into aplane, flush with the face of the cabinet.

The cabinet I0 comprises a pair of side walls l2l2, a backing l3, a topmember 14 ornamented as at l5, and a plurality of shelves l6 slottedlyannexed and extending between the sides I2 in horizontal plane. Aplurality of ver-- tical spacing members l1, adapted also to strengthenthe structure, are disposed at spaced intervals to divide the shelvesrespectively into compartments of desired size. Racking guides [8 aremounted, as in compartments band c, on the shelf surface correspondingto said compartments, and they are mounted, as in the remainder of thecompartments, on the upper face of the bottom shelf and correspondinglyon the lower face of the upper shelf defining the particularcompartment. The appearance of the cabinet may be greatly improved by acurtain H], which can be lowered for screening the interior when thecabinet is not in use.

The samples of ware intended to be previewed according to the presentinvention are racked serially in the particular compartments, asdisclosed in Figure 1. The function of the guide racks is to facilitatedisposition of the samples within the compartments in orderlyarrangement and in such manner that each sample may be removedconveniently, without disturbance of the sample adjacent to it. Theguide racks may extend substantially from the front face of the cabinetto the backing l3. Upper and lower corresponding rack guides areprovided, as in the sections (Z, e, f, and g, to prevent the particularsamples stored therein from tilting or canting. It is recommended alsothat the verical members I! be notched, as at 20, to facilitate removalof the particular samples stored on either side thereof.

In the merchandising of articles such as ornamental colored tile, thetile elements used to make up a given composite sample, for example, thefloor tile composite as indicated at 2! in Figure 4, are preferablymounted in their intended geometric relation, upon a backing 22 which ismade of fiber board, or some substance of like stiffness. The width ofthe rack guides 18 is sufficient to accommodate the thickness of theparticular sample and the thickness of the backing upon which thesamples are mounted.

The backing is dimensioned so that, at one side, it projects slightlybeyond the edge of the tile mounted thereon in order that the sample maybe fitted into the channel slides 24 of the display panels il, in amanner to be subsequently described. The backing is of such a width thatthe projection will fit in the channel snugly, but will still be readilyremovable. Floor tile samples, such as 26 and 21, may have a furtherprojection, as indicated at 28, at the side opposite the side engaged inthe base channel 25.

The display panels 4 i may be mounted on either side of the cabinet itby hinges 23, or other appropriate means. Channel slides, positioned asindicated at 24, are attached at one edge of the display panels and holdthe samples in position after they have been inserted. At the base ofthe display panels are base channels 25, into which are fitted the tilesamples, such as 26 and 21, illustrating representative patterns offloor or wall tile, as the case may be, assembled on single backings.

In mounting the wall tile samples for display in the display panels, theoperator builds up the display from the decorative base strip, which isfirst inserted in the panel. with the backing projection 29 of thesample engaged in the channel slide 25 and the lower edge of the sampleresting within the base channel 25. The projecting shelf or angle member30 constitutes a base or supporting member for the lowermost or bottomwall section 3|. The remaining samples are then serially fitted into thepanel in the arrangement desired, each sample resting on the one beneathit with the backing projection of each section fitting into engagementwith the channel slide, as is best illustrated in Figure 5. The purposeof the shelf memberv or angle 30 is to enable the operator to remove thebase strip and substitute another without removing the entire display.If desired, similar shelf members may be used to support each of thewall sections.

I have found that samples thus secured are maintained in positionsufiiciently for display purposes, but still are readily removable.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention, there are no projections,either on the panel surface, itself, or in the side channel, which caninterfere with the exercise of great latitude in arrangement of thesamples into a conventional wall and floor display which usuallyconsists of a floor pattern, a base strip, two wall sections, adecorative strip, a single wall section and a cap section.

The problem of facilitating the selection and sale of tile to apurchaser involves the problem of assisting in the artistic arrangementof color combinations, since the average purchaser, such as a home ownerselecting tile for his intended home, is totally or substantiallyunskilled in choosing colors which harmonize. Usually, the purchaser hasin mind the color which he wishes to predominate in the room, and hasrelatively little difliculty, therefore, in determining the color of themajor tile area. However, in completing the selection and determiningthe color and design of the floor, the base piece, the ornamental stripand the cap section, genuine difficulty is encountered. Moreover, thesalesman assisting in the selection may frequently have had but littlemore experience than the customer.

The present invention cont mplates the arrangement of the tile in thecabinet It according to a guide, preformulated by, a capable artistaccording to colors which definitely do harmonize according to acceptedcolor principles. There are a number of these color charts which arecommercially available, or if desired, it is possible to prepare aparticular one dealing solely with the colors which are customarily usedby the particular tile manufacturer.

In using the cabinet, the salesman may commence by selecting from theracks I8 tile sections corresponding in color to the customers choicefor the predominating color. By using the color chart the salesman canthen fill out the panel with a cap portion, base portion, and decorativestrip of colors which harmonize with the color of the main section' Allof these are then fitted into the display panels in the mannerpreviously described. Different combinations of base and cap'portions,also harmonious with the main sections, can be tried until the customerhas arrived at a selection. When the display is completed the sectionsmay be removed from the display panels and returned to their appropriateplaces in the storage cabinet. The cabinet is then ready for a seconddisplayv When the cabinet is used in the manner herein described, theprospective purchaser seldom has any difiiculty in arriving at a colorselection which is still entirely satisfactory to him after the tilewhich he has ordered has been laid in place. At the same time the tiledealer has a compact and efiicient storage cabinet for all of thesamples which he will ever need.

Another important advantage of the present invention is that it placesat the ready command and disposal of the salesman all of the varioustypes of tile which he has available for display purposes. I-Ieretofore,in attempting to display colored tile combinations, it has beennecessary for the salesman to have an assistant or runner go to thevarious bins in the warehouse in which the various pieces of tile werestored, collect the few pieces necessary to make up a small displaypanel, and bring these pieces back to the salesroom to be assembled andshown to the prospective purchasers.

Obviously the pieces of tile which a runner would collect during thedisplay of tile to a given prospective purchaser would be very large,particularly if the purchaser had difficulty in making up his or hermind as to color and design. During the display period, all of thevarious shapes and colors of tile which the runners had collected werelaid aside in the salesroom after they had been viewed, and thesalesroom usually became very disorderly long before the customer wassatisfied with a given selection. The confusion of colors in thesalesroom tended to make even more diflicult the selection of harmoniouscolor tile combinations. In the present invention, all of the availablesamples are provided at a central point, but the colors of the samples,which are not in use, are not visible, so that the prospective purchaseris free to concentrate upon the particular combination of tile which isbeing displayed, and is not confused by a galaxy of color from othertiles around the display room.

It has been found in practice that, by the use of the cabinet, theaverage customer is able to make a selection in approximately one-halfof the time that it formerly took him, and that customers are almostuniformly satisfied with their selection after the job has beencompleted, whereas heretofore they have, frequently, been, at heart,dissatisfied.

Moreover, the hinged display mounting boards provided at either side ofthe cabinet may be swung out of View at any time during a given displayin order to permit a customer to concentrate his attention upon adisplay arrangement in position on the other hinged mounting board. Forinstance, two display assemblies of tile may be viewed at once, forcomparison, then one of the display assemblies may be swung out of viewfor analysis of the color combinations presented in the other displayassembly. During such comparisons, it is the practice to lower the shadeblank in order to have a smooth and neutral surface between theassemblies. When the display cabinet is not in use, then all of the tilesamples are stored in the racks of the cabinet in their properarrangement, the hinged mounting boards are swung out of sight along thesides of the cabinet, and the cabinet, as a whole, is neat andattractive in appearance. The tile samples are also kept much cleanerand freer from dust than they would be if they were thrown loosely inthe contractors storage room. This enables the prospective customer tobetter appraise the natural hue of the tile, and it greatly facilitateshis selection.

In addition, the operation of the cabinet is so simple that it caneasily be handled by a stenographer or office attendant when the tilecontractor, himself, is not present. Customers can be taught to operatethe cabinet, themselves, within a very few minutes.

Having fully described my invention, I desire to be limited only by thefollowing claim:

In a tile display apparatus in combination, a main body sectionconstituting a base structure, wing panels hinged to the respectiveopposite side edges of said body, adapted to be folded against the sideof the body when not in use, and extended parallel with the face thereofwhen in use, floor panels adjustably attached to the lower edges of therespective wing panels and adapted to be extended forwardly thereof,each of said panels including means for supporting tile sections thereonwhereby the wall and floor relationship of tile may be displayed for thepurpose of giving the actual effect.

CHARLES H. BURCHENAL.

